You Never Knew Me
by Marysia Amethyst
Summary: stand alone vignette set post-Hogwarts, Harry has been captured by Voldemort. more stories at www.marysia.com


**You Never Knew Me   
by Marysia (Apr 2002) **

Disclaimer: this story is mine but the people in it are not   
Rating: PG   
Summary: a stand alone post-Hogwarts vignette   


* * *

In the dark cell Harry was roused by a noise outside the iron bars. An initial glance revealed a simple changing of the guard but something made him look again. 

Standing still and silent, looking through the bars of his cell, was a tall, slim man with white-blonde hair and an extremely familiar stance. 

"Draco?" he whispered hoarsly. 

The man said nothing and shadows concealed his face. 

"Draco, is that you?" he tried again, there was hope in his voice. 

"Don't bother, Potter," the figure said coldly. "I'm not here to rescue you, I'm just here to watch you." 

"What?" 

"I'm the guard you moron," there was a touch of familiarity to his tone but he quickly turned away as if he realised it's presence. 

For a long time Harry simply stared at his back, it had been three long years since he had seen Draco. "Why?" he said finally. 

There was no answer. 

"Why?" he demanded, moving as far forward as his chains would allow. 

"Why what?" Draco asked with little concern, still facing away. 

"Why did you leave? You didn't even say goodbye." 

"Actually I did, I remember it quite clearly," said Draco conversationally. "We were on the train to King's Cross and I said 'Goodbye, Potter.' I guess you weren't paying attention." 

"I remember fine," Harry snapped. "I said 'Goodbye, Draco. I'll see you in a few months.' and you just looked at me and got off the train. Why didn't you tell me you weren't coming back?" 

Draco shrugged. "I didn't feel like it," he said shortly. 

"Damn it, Draco. Turn around!" 

Draco turned slowly and faced him. "Happy?" 

Harry studied his face as best he could in the shadows. "After everything... everything I said, everything we did... why didn't you tell me you weren't coming back?" he asked again. 

"Because it didn't matter, Potter. I didn't say I was coming back either, you just assumed. You always just assumed." 

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

"You assumed that I'd changed." 

"If you hadn't then what were you doing with me? What was that? I thought you..." Harry broke off, his face wavering. 

"What?" 

"I thought you loved me," Harry admitted. 

Draco smiled, but it wasn't a pleasant sight. "I did," he told him. "But you never loved me," he added casually. 

"How can you say that?" Harry protested. "Of course I loved you..." 

"We never talked," Draco cut in. "You never asked me if I'd changed, you never wanted to know what was going on inside my head. You never knew me. You can't love someone you don't know." 

"But..." 

"You just made up some dream version of me who believed in everything you did. You made excuses for every slip, defended every suggestion that things might not be the way you wanted them to be," he accused him. "I didn't tell you I wasn't coming back because I knew perfectly well that you didn't want to know." 

"You should have told me," Harry said weakly. 

"You should have asked," Draco replied with bitterness. 

They stared at one another in silence. 

Finally Harry said, "If you loved me then why don't you help me?" 

Draco's eyes narrowed in anger but he reigned it back. "Because I work for Voldemort," he answered. "I believe in what he's doing, I always did." 

"I don't understand. I thought..." Harry shook his head sadly. "I thought for a while your father had made you leave," he told him quietly. "That you hadn't known and then there was no way to tell me and I was so worried about you. I heard last year that you had joined the Death Eaters. I hoped it wasn't true. I... missed you." 

"You didn't miss me," Draco spat. 

"I did!" 

"I told you, Potter! You never knew me, you missed someone that never existed. Now shut up." 

"No, I won't." 

"As touched as I am that you want to spend your last night talking to me, there is nothing else to say." Draco turned away again. 

"Please..." 

Nothing. 

"Draco..." 

Nothing. 

"I'm sorry..." 

Nothing. 

* * *

The End 


End file.
